Agricultural Economics
Mississippi’s producers know it takes more than growing a crop through to harvest to have a successful business. They must calculate risk, understand state and federal regulations, manage resources wisely, and be able to analyze growing amounts of data. Agricultural economists with the MSU Extension Service provide free tools farmers can use to determine break-even costs. They also keep Extension clients informed about commodity price fluctuations and offer insight into navigating the complexities of the Farm Bill.
Annual Planning Budgets
Enterprise budgets are essential tools for farm planning. MSU Extension develops annual Planning Budgets for Mississippi which are available on the MSU Department of Agricultural Economics website. You will find enterprise budgets for corn, cotton, soybeans, rice, grain sorghum, wheat, and forages in both pdf format and spreadsheets.
Budgets are included for irrigated and non-irrigated systems, Delta and non-Delta regions, with several different production systems for each crop. The pdf versions include tables with details of resource and input use, monthly cash flow projections, and breakeven analysis. The spreadsheet versions allow the user to make adjustments to the budget to adapt to different prices, input use, and production practices.
Publications
News
Although prices for timber were lower in 2024, harvest on the state’s forest land was up about 8%, giving forestry an expected value of $1.5 billion, similar to what it had in 2023.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Agricultural specialists with Mississippi State University will share updates and forecasts for 2025 on the state’s largest industry during a conference in January.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Agriculture and forestry are Mississippi’s top industries, but their significance to the state’s economy extends beyond the revenue they generate on their own.
Success Stories
In late February, Mississippi State University hosted the 2024 National Floriculture Forum, an annual conference held at different locations around the country.
A Smithsonian Institution exhibit about rural communities continues its journey in public libraries across Mississippi.
Former U.S. senators, award-winning authors, and influential musicians have called Carrollton home, so it makes sense that town leaders lean on those credentials to lure visitors to the town to generate revenue.
